Supreme Court Refuses to Halt Execution of Mexican National

The Supreme Court won't stop Texas from executing a Mexican citizen convicted of raping and killing a 16-year-old girl in a case that has garnered international attention.

Humberto Leal is to be executed Thursday for the murder of Adria Sauceda. And the high court refused to delay the execution despite requests from the Obama administration. The 38-year-old native of Monterrey, Mexico, was not told he could contact the Mexican consulate after his arrest. His lawyers say police violated an international treaty by not telling him.

The Obama administration wanted a delay of as long as six months to give Congress chance to consider legislation that would allow federal courts to review cases of condemned foreign citizens to determine whether the lack of consular help would have made a significant difference.